Blazers Fall in Five at Middle Tennessee

Friday, November 1

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

6 p.m.

UAB

-1111,36 CUSA

Middle Tennessee

-1014,36 CUSA

UAB

Middle Tenn.

Blazers Fall in Five at Middle Tennessee

11/1/2019 11:11:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Season Stats Conference Stats Box Score

BIRMINGHAM – The UAB volleyball team lost a heartbreaker at Middle Tennessee on Friday night, taking the Blue Raiders five sets before falling 3-2. The Blazers took the second and third set after being edged by two points in the opening frame, but were unable to clinch the match in the final two sets as the Blue Raiders won their fourth straight match.

"Our team showed tremendous fight tonight," said coach Amy Pauly. "This week in practice, we worked on a few specific things for our team, and our hard work showed. I'm proud of how they fought against a tough opponent on the road."

Player Spotlight
Redshirt junior outside hitter Emma Mitchell held the lead role for the Blazer attack, posting 17 kills and 11 digs for her sixth double double of the season. Also stepping up was true junior outside hitter Abby Carlile. The Southlake, Texas, native came in just behind Mitchell, finishing with 11 kills eight digs and an ace.

"I was really proud of Abby this evening," said Pauly. "She had to come in during a crucial point in set two and found a way to contribute in every area of the game.."

How It Happened
The first set was back-and-forth as the two sides started off locked at 10 all. A pair of three-point runs soon after gave Middle Tennessee a 14-11 and 20-16 lead, but UAB continued to draw within one. The Blazers would tie things up at 24 apiece with a three-point run of its own, but the Blue Raiders took the next two points for the 26-24 set win.

The next set wasn't much different as Middle Tennessee took the first substantial lead at 11-7. UAB would bounce back with a couple of runs to tie things up at 12 and go up 15-13. From then on, the two sides equally traded blows as the Blue Raiders managed to draw within a point, but the Blazers finished the set on top, 25-23.

UAB (11-11, 3-6 C-USA) came out of the gate firing in the third set, taking an early 10-3 lead. Middle Tennessee used its own streaks to draw within striking distance, but the Blazers stretched their lead again winning six of seven points to go up 18-10. The Blue Raiders still battled to cut UAB's lead to three, but the Blazers won four straight for the 25-18 set win.

Middle Tennessee (11-13, 4-5 C-USA) responded in the fourth set, scoring four straight points to take a 15-9 lead. UAB later used a four-point run to draw within three points and scored six straight points soon after to jump ahead, 23-22. Despite trailing, the Blue Raiders scored three more points straight for the 26-24 win.

The Blue Raiders took care of business in the fifth set, earning the first seven points. Middle Tennessee would ride that momentum to victory, taking the set, 15-4, and the match, 3-2.

Up Next
UAB will next head home to host No. 18 Rice on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Bartow Arena. Tickets for the match are available now. Live stats and a live stream will be provided with links available on the UAB schedule page.

Volleyball season tickets are on sale by purchasing the 2019-20 Gold Card for $65. The Gold Card is an exclusive offer that grants you admission into all UAB volleyball, men's and women's soccer, women's basketball, baseball and softball events for the upcoming academic year. Contact the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1 for more details.

For more information on the UAB volleyball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter or Instagram (@UAB_VB).